[Merged] is this the same Ryan O'Connor that owns Find-A-Car?

[mself084]

I wonder what was going through the woman's mind. Probably.. I hope these guys kill him.

Either way, it's good that everything worked out.

Does anyone know if Spezza's brother plays hockey as well or was the 997 a gift from his NHL sibling?

Come on though, he's JASON SPEZZA's BROTHER! Jason Spezza means a lot to the town, I'm sure there was influence in that alone. Ottawa depends on that guy...

The car belongs to the driver, and the driver was not Spezza's brother.

Another part of the story that no-one brought up: the driver of the porsche was on his cellphone the whole time. isn't that illegal too?

In the end I'm happy they caught the guy...but doing 160km/h on back roads isn't something to be celebrated...

[Jon Lai]

The car belongs to the driver, and the driver was not Spezza's brother.

Another part of the story that no-one brought up: the driver of the porsche was on his cellphone the whole time. isn't that illegal too?

In the end I'm happy they caught the guy...but doing 160km/h on back roads isn't something to be celebrated...

The bill becomes law starting October 1st, 2009.

[mjl_toronto]

Interesting comment from Toronto Star comments section:

If they'd chased him down on foot and beat the crap out of him, I'm sure they'd be charged with assault. Seems it worked out better this way.

I remember a few years back a guy heard a girl screaming, ran towards her and found someone sexually assaulting her. He proceeded to beat the crap out of the rapist until the police showed up. Apparently, he was never charged for assault. IIRC, it happened somewhere in Alberta but I can't seem to find an article on it.

IMO, I think what O'Connor, and to some degree Spezza, did was stupid but glad they caught the alleged rapist without incident. Hope this doesn't spur on future 'cowboys' to act the same.

[najibs]

most people who buy a car like a Porsche know how to drive it properly

Just because you can afford a fast car doesn't at all mean you know how to drive it at high speeds. I guess with that logic, wealthy people are born with the ability to drive fast cars just because they have the ability to make money, right?

In fact, not all, but a lot of those people get into accidents because they have that mentality... "I have a car designed to go fast, therefore I can drive at high speeds." Sorry, but your argument is an epic fail.

[FD3S]

Guess what, people who buy a car like a Porsche are rich, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT.

It's sad that our world is full of reckless people who don't even think thoroughly. First, "that guy" is NOT A CRIMINAL!!! On the other hand, those 2 reckless people (the driver and his accomplice) decided to play "heroes", and CLEARLY broke the law. They were only let go because of technicality. And the worse part is, there are even people who would think otherwise. :roll eyes:

people who buy Porsche tend to be "real" enthusiast who know how to drive.

rich pplz will buy a lambo or something and don't know how to drive it.

that said, i wonder if it was a turbo....hmm

[VorteC]

people who buy Porsche tend to be "real" enthusiast who know how to drive.

rich pplz will buy a lambo or something and don't know how to drive it.

that said, i wonder if it was a turbo....hmm

what about all those gold digger milfs, and mid-life-crisis guys?

pretty sure there are more.. say.. enthusiast miata owners than there are enthusiast porsche ownesr.

[Anonymouse]

I just saw in a news report I had on my PVR that it is, in fact, the Find-A-Car guy. Wow, the fraud business must have been good if he was driving a late-model Porsche (Turbo?).

[internetsandbox]

Then you wouldn't mind if some random guy ran a red, and t-boned you at 170km since he was trying to make the world a better place...

Would you rather it be a cop that plows you trying to make he world a better place?

[cf18]

The bill becomes law starting October 1st, 2009.

Also...

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/526513
Calls to 911 are exempt as are calls from first responders on duty.

[dasaylay]

haha, next time I get pulled over I'm going to say I was trying to do a citizen's arrest on a rapist.

[buildit]

crazy story! i cant believe the national coverage this story is getting. i had mixed feelings but i think what these guys did is great!

[teknoluv]

people who buy Porsche tend to be "real" enthusiast who know how to drive.

rich pplz will buy a lambo or something and don't know how to drive it.

Ever wonder how some people could make up (not "figure out") YOUR life story when they have only met you once for say 5 minutes? This is it. : roll eyes AGAIN:

[mself084]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/busines...955/story.html

Good Samaritan to face fraud charges

OTTAWA-Ryan O’Connor, described this week by police as a Good Samaritan for engaging in a high-speed chase of a sex assault suspect while on a cell phone with a 911 operator, has his own troubles with the law.

O’Connor, the former president of the used car dealership chain Find-A-Car, is scheduled to appear in court in early November to face several fraud charges, the culmination of an RCMP commercial crime probe launched in 2006. The probe, which enlisted detectives from three police agencies, involved interviews with about 450 people, including competitors and dozens of customers who claimed they went into financial ruin after signing car loans they could not afford.

The Mounties originally billed the alleged fraud as a multi-million dollar case, but the exact dollar figure has never been established, or proven, in court.

The police allege that Find-A-Car fudged loan applications, in some cases inflating the salaries of customers to secure them bank loans for which they otherwise would not qualify. The police also allege the dealership, which had locations in Ottawa, Kingston, Trenton and North Bay, offered warranties from a company that didn’t exist.

Some complainants told police they went bankrupt as they were left with car payments long after their vehicles had been repossessed.

“I can’t comment on that right now, and the (legal) matter will be dealt with shortly,” O’Connor, 33, said Wednesday.

The entrepreneur said he couldn’t comment on his nine charges, citing advice from his lawyer, Michael Edelson. The criminal charges have not been proven in court, and O’Connor is scheduled to enter a plea on Nov. 6.

Mark Turner, the former chief financial officer for

O’Connor’s company, has already pleaded guilty to two fraud charges.

The dealership, which former Ottawa Senators goalie Ray Emery helped promote, went out of business after the police raided its offices in May 2007.

The RCMP probe began after the force received complaints from bankers who suspected customer credit profiles were allegedly being fudged.

Before the car dealerships shut down after the police investigation, O’Connor was profiled in Profit 100 magazine. O’Connor, who won three Ontario lightweight championship boxing titles and qualified for the Canadian Olympic team trials, was featured in the magazine after his five used car dealerships hit yearly sales of $90 million in 2006.

The car enthusiast was on his way to a rock concert on Friday night when he and passenger Matt Spezza, brother of Senators centre Jason Spezza, came upon a woman in distress.

The woman told them she had been sexually attacked by a man she met at a party, but she managed to get out of the suspect’s car before flagging down O’Connor, who was behind the wheel of a Porsche heading down on Fallowfield Road. She pointed out her alleged attacker, who then took off. O’Connor, Spezza and the woman, who got in the Porsche, then pursued the other man’s Pontiac Wave through Ottawa’s west side for about 20 minutes, at times reaching speeds of 170 km/h, while maintaining cellphone contact with a 911 operator.

Ottawa Police Chief Vern White has ordered a review of 911 policies, saying operators are expected to stop such civilian pursuits. O’Connor said Saturday he was surprised the chase was not called off by the 911 operator as he described near head-on collisions, running red lights and passing other cars on the shoulder as the two vehicles barrelled north along Eagleson Road. O’Connor said he understood the police chief’s position, but told the Citizen on Sunday that, even if called off by the dispatcher, he would have likely continued the pursuit on instinct.

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